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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. scale — size or range
  4. perch — the fish
  5. scale — in music
  6. bound — tied together
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. board — to get on
  10. bound — obliged
  11. drill — the tool
  12. drill — a practice
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. drill — army training
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. board — a committee
  21. bound — certain
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. board — a flat piece

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com